X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Running Back Stat Sleepers - Missed Tackles Forced

Plunging into the world of football analytics is without question a great way to find fantasy sleepers for the coming season. Especially in the case of running backs, considering overall elusiveness is arguably the best way to determine how good (or bad) a player's performance was.

We're going to dive head-first into some grade-A elusiveness analytics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. The goal will be to find the position's best sleepers, and maybe a potential bust or two based on how many missed tackles he forced, how often he broke tackles relative to volume, and his tendency to accumulate yardage after contact.

Average draft position will play a role as well, considering many of these players can be had at a deep late-round bargain.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Shake and Bake

Kenyan Drake - Miami Dolphins

Kenyan Drake erupted into fantasy relevance almost immediately following Miami's trade of starting RB Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia. Drake was a force to be reckoned with, totaling the ninth-most fantasy points among his peers from week 10 onward. A large part of this was due to his impeccable flashes of elusiveness.

Drake paced the RB position with his 4.3 yards after contact per carry, and his 23 broken tackles ranked 24th. This is especially impressive given he only had 133 carries all season.

Drake carries an ADP of 4.01 in PPR-formats, per FantasyPros. With both Ajayi and Damien Williams gone, and the only two players available to vulture work being 2018 fourth-round pick Kalen Ballage and the ghost of Frank Gore (on a one-year $1 million deal), Drake is a candidate to run through this coming season the same way he ended 2017.

Dion Lewis & Derrick Henry - Tennessee Titans

One of these two running backs trucked their way to force the fourth-most broken tackles in football last season. The other running back is.... Derrick Henry.

Dion Lewis flashed All-Pro elusiveness throughout the entire 2017 season, ultimately outlasting teammates Mike Gillislee, James White, and the oft-injured Rex Burkhead. Lewis broke 48 tackles on 212 touches on his way to a RB19 finish in PPR. Lewis was actually breaking tackles at a higher rate than New Orleans Saints phenom Alvin Kamara.

Lewis' true breakout didn't happen until week 9, however, where he was the 10th-most productive RB from then onward. His broken tackle percentage ranked sixth over that span. Interestingly enough, one of the RBs that broke tackles at a higher rate over that span was his current teammate in Henry.

Henry was no stranger to breaking tackles. His 3.2 yards after contact per carry ranked sixth at the position last season (as did Lewis). The now teammates actually averaged the exact same amount of yardage after contact per carry.

Tennessee has their work cut out for them trying to determine which of these two incredibly difficult to tackle RBs warrants the most usage. Both of them are worth targeting on draft day, but Lewis offers a better value, as he is available nearly two rounds later at 52nd overall compared to Henry's ADP of 37th.

C.J. Anderson - Carolina Panthers

I wrote about C.J. Anderson's sleeper potential earlier this summer, and there's every reason to revisit that claim given his underrated capabilities as a ball carrier. Anderson forced the eighth-most missed tackles last season while averaging a respectable 2.8 yards after contact. His 35 broken tackles were more than Ezekiel Elliott, Jordan Howard, and Leonard Fournette. Anderson also forced a broken tackle on a higher percentage of his carries than Christian McCaffrey.

He now has a new change of scenery in Carolina where he will share a backfield with McCaffrey. It's worth noting that last season, McCaffrey averaged more than half a yard less after contact than Anderson did. While McCaffrey is warranting draft capital at the top end of the second round in PPR formats, you can steal Anderson in the eighth round. Just based on former CAR RB Jonathan Stewart's usage over the last several seasons, we can determine there is plenty of work to go around for both McCaffrey and Anderson.

Marshawn Lynch - Oakland Raiders

While very few were willing to put their chips on the 32-year-old unretired runner, the ones that rode his season out were rewarded eventually. Over the course of 2017, Marshawn Lynch broke the fourth-most tackles and averaged the eighth-most yards after contact. His consistent elusiveness was shockingly similar to Kareem Hunt's, who led the NFL in total broken tackles and gross yards after contact.

The elusiveness eventually translated into fantasy production as well. Lynch was one of the most productive RBs in the league through the second half of the season, averaging nearly 15 fantasy points per game; a large resurgence compared to his 6.6 fantasy points per game across weeks 1 through 8.

Unlike this next veteran I'm going to discuss, Lynch requires a very fair investment based on the elusiveness and upside we saw last year. He can be drafted as a flex player in the eighth round, a high-end ZeroRB target or as a high-upside bench player for added depth if you focus on RB early.

BUYER BEWARE: LeSean McCoy - Buffalo Bills

Make no mistake, LeSean McCoy was the RB7 in PPR last season, thanks to a hefty dose of volume in an offense that was essentially a wasteland outside of him. With the additions of two former first-round picks in Kelvin Benjamin and Corey Coleman, and the top 10 draft equity investment in gunslinging rookie Josh Allen, that's not necessarily the case. Even so, the usage could be there once again for the veteran going into his 10th season, but he is not a player that should be reached for.

Elusiveness is arguably McCoy's strongest trait, and it finally hit its wall in 2017. McCoy's 2.1 average yards after contact ranked 63rd out of 70 qualifying RBs, and his broken tackle percentage ranked outside the top 50. The lack of genuine elusiveness netted McCoy the second-lowest yards per touch total of his career. Also worth noting is the now 30-year-old tallied the second-most season long touch total of his career at 346.

McCoy is always a safe bet for volume, but his efficiency reached a low point over his last three seasons in the league. He's in a strong spot to meet value if his ADP stays behind the second round, but he is not a player worth reaching for based on age and the likelihood of regression.

 

More Draft Sleepers and Values




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Los Angeles Dodgers31 mins ago

Dodgers Expected To Be Favorites To Land Roki Sasaki
Cameron Young40 mins ago

Making Spot Start In Mexico
Mike Williams47 mins ago

Steelers Trading For Mike Williams
47 mins ago

Cardinals Don't Extend Qualifying Offer To Paul Goldschmidt
Washington Commanders1 hour ago

Marshon Lattimore Traded To Washington
1 hour ago

Reds Give Nick Martinez A Qualifying Offer
1 hour ago

Christian Walker Receives Qualifying Offer From D-Backs
DK Metcalf1 hour ago

Seahawks Won't Be Trading DK Metcalf
Detroit Lions2 hours ago

Lions Acquire Za'Darius Smith From Browns
Dak Prescott2 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured Reserve
3 hours ago

Dodgers Extend Qualifying Offer To Teoscar Hernandez
3 hours ago

Willy Adames Receives Qualifying Offer From Brewers
4 hours ago

Braves Give Max Fried A Qualifying Offer
4 hours ago

Anthony Santander Receives Qualifying Offer
Aaron Nesmith4 hours ago

Wearing A Walking Boot
4 hours ago

Orioles Extend Qualifying Offer To Corbin Burnes
Devin Vassell4 hours ago

To Remain On The Shelf During Road Trip
Aaron Gordon4 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long-Term
Jonathan Mingo4 hours ago

Heading To Dallas
Brandin Podziemski4 hours ago

Limited On Monday Due To An Illness
Zack Moss4 hours ago

Expected To Miss The Rest Of The Season
Trae Young4 hours ago

Exits Early With Rib Injury
Jeremy Sochan4 hours ago

Suffers Thumb Injury On Monday
Anthony Davis5 hours ago

Has Been Dealing With Foot Issue Since Summer
Artturi Lehkonen5 hours ago

Will Make His Season Debut On Tuesday
Ilya Sorokin5 hours ago

Takes On Penguins Tuesday
Khalil Herbert5 hours ago

Bengals Acquiring Khalil Herbert From Bears
Jake Allen5 hours ago

Posts Second Shutout Of The Season
Jesper Bratt5 hours ago

Collects Two Points In Monday's Win
Adrian Kempe6 hours ago

Enjoys Another Multi-Point Outing
Darcy Kuemper6 hours ago

Continues Point Streak With A Shutout
DeAndre Hopkins10 hours ago

Scores Twice In Week 9 Win
Kareem Hunt10 hours ago

Finds The End Zone In Overtime
Travis Kelce10 hours ago

Catches 14 Passes In Week 9 Win
Cade Otton14 hours ago

Leads Tampa In Receiving In Week 9 Loss On Monday
14 hours ago

Pete Alonso Receives Qualifying Offer From Mets
14 hours ago

Clayton Kershaw Declines 2025 Option
Will Levis15 hours ago

Titans Hopeful Will Levis Will Return In Week 10
Tony Pollard15 hours ago

Titans Looking To Reduce Tony Pollard's Workload?
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Micah Parsons Expected To Play In Week 10
Dereck Lively II17 hours ago

A Late Scratch On Monday
Amari Cooper17 hours ago

Listed As Day-To-Day
Joe Flacco17 hours ago

Named Week 10 Starter
Robert Williams III17 hours ago

Returning On Monday
Jordan Hawkins17 hours ago

Out Versus The Blazers
Zion Williamson17 hours ago

Sidelined Again Versus Portland
Rudy Gobert18 hours ago

Available For Minnesota On Monday
Immanuel Quickley18 hours ago

Still Out On Monday
Jalen Smith18 hours ago

Available Against Jazz
Brandon Miller18 hours ago

Will Play Versus Minnesota
Josh Giddey18 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
Lauri Markkanen18 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Monday Night
David Njoku18 hours ago

Browns "Highly Unlikely" To Trade David Njoku
John Konchar18 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday Versus Nets
Chase Brown18 hours ago

Appears To Be OK Despite Suffering Bruised Rib
Tee Higgins19 hours ago

Estimated As DNP On Monday
Jameson Williams19 hours ago

' Suspension Is Lifted
19 hours ago

Alex Bregman Given Qualifying Offer
19 hours ago

Juan Soto Receives Qualifying Offer
Anthony Davis19 hours ago

Available Monday Versus Detroit
Austin Reaves19 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
19 hours ago

Tyler O'Neill Not Given Qualifying Offer, Headed To Free Agency
Ryan Blaney19 hours ago

Wins At Martinsville And Has Chance To Earn Second Straight Championship
Christopher Bell19 hours ago

Penalized At Martinsville, Removed From Championship Four
D'Angelo Russell19 hours ago

Available Monday
19 hours ago

Nick Pivetta Receives Qualifying Offer
19 hours ago

Colin Rea Heading To Free Agency
Casey Mize19 hours ago

Tigers Decline Casey Mize's 2025 Club Option
Jake Allen20 hours ago

Faces Oilers On Monday
BOS20 hours ago

Tyler Johnson Signs One-Year Deal With Bruins
Zach Benson21 hours ago

Considered "A Possibility" For Tuesday's Game
Artem Zub21 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Monday
Bryan Rust21 hours ago

Will Join Penguins Road Trip
Marcell Ozuna21 hours ago

Braves Exercise Marcell Ozuna's 2025 Option
Juraj Slafkovsky21 hours ago

Practices On Monday
Macklin Celebrini21 hours ago

Ready To Return On Tuesday
David Fry21 hours ago

To Miss 6-8 Months After Having Elbow Surgery
Gerrit Cole21 hours ago

Yankees Agree To Stick Together
Samuel Ersson23 hours ago

Misses Monday Practice
Connor McDavid23 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule In Recovery
Philip Broberg23 hours ago

Will Miss Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Valeri Nichushkin23 hours ago

Will Return When First Eligible
Tyler Reddick24 hours ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson24 hours ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski24 hours ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott24 hours ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
1 day ago

Nathan Eovaldi Declines His Player Option
Rose Namajunas1 day ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus1 day ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Marc-Andre Barriault1 day ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy1 day ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon1 day ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles1 day ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Mike Malott1 day ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
NASCAR2 days ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen2 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA2 days ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius2 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro2 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi2 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno2 days ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Daniel Suarez2 days ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith2 days ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano2 days ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar2 days ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric2 days ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield4 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott4 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro5 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado5 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz5 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Drake Maye, Xavier Legette, Chase Brown, Tyrone Tracy and More!

Michael Florio is back going over his top waiver wire targets for Week 10! Florio also discusses his favorite streaming defenses of the week before going over all of his starts and sits! Get everything you need for the week, before you even set your waivers! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings for Half-PPR: Christian McCaffrey, T.J. Hockenson, Nico Collins, Jonathon Brooks, Marvin Harrison Jr., Chase Brown

The fantasy football playoffs are just ahead, and if you need assistance setting optimal lineups this week, our half-PPR fantasy football rankings for Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season are here to help. Use our early overall Week 10 rankings for all positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, FLEX, K, D/ST) to assist those close […]


Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 10 Fantasy Football FLEX Rankings (RB, WR, TE) for Half-PPR: Chase Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, Xavier Worthy

Figuring out who to start in the flex spot is one of the most difficult aspects of fantasy football, especially when comparing two similar players at different positions. If you need assistance this week, use our Week 10 fantasy football FLEX rankings for 2024 and set your winning lineups. Ahead of the Week 10 slate, […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 10 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings for Half-PPR: Christian McCaffrey, Chase Brown, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kareem Hunt, J.K. Dobbins, Tank Bigsby

As the second half of the NFL season heats up, it's never been more critical to set optimal fantasy football lineups. Today we will go over our NFL team's updated Week 10 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Christian McCaffrey, Chase Brown, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kareem Hunt, […]


Tank Dell - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 10 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings for Half-PPR: DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Calvin Ridley, Khalil Shakir, Jauan Jennings, Tank Dell

With the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks out of action this week, many fantasy managers will need to dive deeper into the wide receiver position to find viable starters and flex options. Our Week 10 fantasy football wide receiver rankings for 2024 are here to help you make those […]


Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals

Week 10 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Joe Burrow, Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, Joe Flacco

The 2024 NFL season is officially over the halfway point, and the fantasy football playoffs are right around the corner. If you need help at the QB spot with four teams on a bye, we're here to help with our NFL team's Week 10 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2024. Some key quarterbacks have failed […]


Cade Otton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for Half-PPR: Cade Otton, Evan Engram, Jake Ferguson, Mike Gesicki, Mark Andrews, Taysom Hill, Zach Ertz

Tight ends have popped off over the last two weeks, so hopefully, the momentum will continue in the second half of the fantasy football season. If you need help finding to top available TE option, our Week 10 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2024 are here to guide you! Ahead of the ninth slate […]


Mike Gesicki - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Football Pickups to Target for Week 10 (2024)

We've now battled through nine weeks of fantasy football and most of you know whether you're cruising for the playoffs, battling hard for each week, or needing a win every week! Regardless of your needs, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list and our weekly fantasy football waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on […]


Ray-Ray McCloud III - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 10 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Quentin Johnston, Jalen Tolbert, Ricky Pearsall, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Mike Gesicki

Week 10 will be here in a few days, and it's time to start bolstering those rosters for the fantasy football playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help build those fantasy rosters with our Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024. There were more crucial […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups (QB, RB, WR, TE): Free Agent Adds Include Justin Herbert, Isaac Guerendo, Quentin Johnston, Demarcus Robinson, Taysom Hill

RotoBaller's Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire pickups article for 2024 will cover everyone you need to know that could help your team find replacements for injured players, fill in for players you want to drop, or even help you win a championship. Every week, new players are breaking out. From bench stashes in the […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 10

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make better, more informed decisions. That’s crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early […]


Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS and Betting Picks, NFL Injury News

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings (Weekly Rankings)

Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.


Los Angeles Chargers Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Khalil Mack Fantasy Football IDP

Week 10 Defense (DEF) Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 10 fantasy football defense streamers and D/ST rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season. Every week, I'll go through the best and worst fantasy defenses. With four teams on bye (Browns, Raiders, Packers, and Seahawks) this week, I will be ranking fantasy defenses from No. 1 to No. 28.  It is unfortunate […]